Smiling, Athen forgot about escaping for a second before meeting eyes with the kind server.

In spite of his boss's constant complaints and threats to fire, Darren had always attempted to help Athen.

Although Athen had no idea why somebody like Darren, with a job and stable source of money, would help someone like him, he graciously accepted Darren's help.

Whether it was out of pity or something else, Darren always snuck Athen beers or small snacks like peanuts when he came to the bar.

And even now, despite knowing that his boss would fire him if he found he was helping Athen, Darren continued to help.

Looking at Darren, Athen smiled and replied.

"Don't worry, I'll come back for you."

And those words were some of the few words that Athen sincerely meant.

Once he found a buyer for the precious diamond hidden away in his pocket and sold it, Athen would repay his debt.

The town was terrible, but inside all of the trash, some precious diamonds like Darren's were apparent.

Clearly not believing Athen's words, Darren flashed a smile before gesturing to the door.

"Quick now, if we get caught... it's all over for both of us."

Nodding his head, Athen passed by Darren, who sympathetically patted him on the shoulder.

Darrent evidently thought this would be the last time he saw Athen, but Athen had other plans in store for him.

Athen was going to get out of this shithole of a town, and Darren could decide what to do what his share of the money when Athen gave it to him.

Slowly opening the door, Athen slipped out of the bar before breaking into a mad sprint away.

It was nighttime, and the odds of Athen running into a thug who would rob him were high.

The thought of losing his newly obtained way out of this shitty town propelled him to run even faster.

Placing one hand in his pocket, Athen touched the smooth and sharp surface of the diamond.

It was so blue...and colored with Athen's dreams.

Once he was out of here with the money from the diamond, he could do anything.

The possibilities were endless.

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He was like a bird that had just grown its wings and gained the ability to fly.

Perhaps he could even find a small cottage in the capital city and see if all the tales those visitors had told him were true.

Looking at his fleeting surroundings, which were broken-down huts and piles of trash, Athen did not wear his normal disgusted expression.

Everything... seemed so bright now.

The colors were so vibrant...it was like the world had changed for Athen.

Calming himself down, Athen removed his hand from his pocket.

"It's not over yet..."

By now, the rich customer should have noticed the disappearance of his diamond.

The customer would likely pay the bartender and other people in the town to search for the culprit by giving a large reward to whoever found the diamond.

Or perhaps the visitor was one of those beings who possessed "magic" and would find and hurt Athen himself...

As the building of the bar got farther and farther away, Athen took a deep breath.

He needed to be logical right now.

One little mistake and this whole pipedream of escaping this rotton city would be gone.

Instead, he would be placed in a revolting prison cell, where he would likely die of either starvation or violence.

He couldn't let himself get carried away... yet.

Looking around, Athen noticed that the streets weren't completely empty yet as some vendors were still wheeling their carts away.

Blending in, Athen slowed to a walking pace before swiftly taking a right into a nearby alleyway.

The safest part of town for him right now would be the center, which was where the security center was located.

Nobody would start a fight or attempt to rob him there as they would risk going to jail.

Closing his eyes, Athen envisioned the map of the entire city in his head before creating a route to the center.

Pulling the black cloth over his head, Athen completely covered his hair before emerging from the alleyway on the opposite side.

Leaning downwards, Athen quickly grabbed some dirt before smearing it all over his face.

No thug would attempt to rob him if he looked like this.

Ignoring the disgusting sensation of the dirt, Athen walked forward, passing by other teenagers who resembled him.

They all had similar terrible clothing and messy hair... to the point where he couldn't even distinguish them from each other.

All of them were malnourished and wandering around with nowhere to sleep for the night... just like the night before.

Standing still, Athen looked around for a boy of his height with dark-black hair.

Finding someone who resembled him, Athen ran forward and immediately patted him on the back.

The boy, turning around, stared at Athen with a confused expression.

Reaching into his other pocket, Athen grabbed the rusty copper coin that Darren had given him.

Showing the copper coin to the boy, Athen watched his eyes sparkle before speaking.

"1 coin for all your clothes; take it or leave it."

Not even hesitating for a second, the boy energetically nodded his head before starting to strip himself in the middle of the street.

Doing the same, Athen exchanged clothes with the boy before handing him the copper coin.

Pointing in the direction of the bar, Athen said.

"I heard the bar is giving out free food for the day."

Not even responding, the boy immediately clenched the copper coin before rushing in the direction of the bar.

Making his way toward the center of the town, Athen shook his head.

He felt sorry for tricking the boy, but Darren was right.

This was a cruel and harsh world, so you either needed to adapt or die.

The boy probably wouldn't be hurt too badly as the visitor would quickly interrogate him before realizing that he had no idea where the diamond was.

Still, a tang of guilt still burned in Athen's chest as he headed to the center of the town.

Memorizing the boy's appearance, Athen silently pledged.

"I always repay my debts."

The boy would get his share of the money when Athen found a buyer for the diamond as well.

Seeing a few streetlights in the distance, Athen started running, realizing that there was now almost nothing separating him from the center of the town...and freedom.